Field of the Invention
This invention is a safety device for use in semi-automatic rifles such as an AR-15® (“AR-15” is a trademark of Colt Industries but is widely used generically in reference to semi-automatic rifles) style or type rifle. There are many types of semi-automatic rifles and this disclosure is intended to encompass semi-automatic rifles, sometimes incorrectly referred to as assault rifles, legally available to civilian consumers in the United States. The semi-automatic rifles referred to are lightweight, compact weapons that fire an intermediate power cartridge. A feature of the AR style rifles is that they have a lower receiver that is the heart or platform of the rifle. As it is the defining element of an AR style rifle the serial number of the rifle is engraved, cast, or stamped (“impressed”) on the lower receivers of commercial civilian AR style rifles sold in the United States. The lower receiver of an AR style rifle has a pistol grip and the lower receiver also houses a magazine well, a hammer, a trigger, a trigger sear, a selective fire selector, and about two-dozen other necessary components to complete a workable AR lower receiver. The upper receiver of an AR style rifle is of modular design allowing a broad range of components to be attached to the AR style lower receiver.
When engaged, the sliding safety device as disclosed, is an aid in preventing the discharge of the semi-automatic rifle. Additionally the invention includes the method of retrofitting the device into the lower receiver of a semi-automatic style or type rifle. This invention is limited only to semi-automatic rifles such as, but not limited to, the AR-15 styles and types of semi-automatic rifles, and related style or type rifles. This style or type of rifle is widely cloned, copied and produced by many companies and is generically known as an “AR.” In this specification the configuration of semi-automatic rifle is sometimes referred to as an “AR” meaning that the lower receiver of these semi-automatic rifles are based on the well-known AR-15 and AR-10 platform.
Description of Known Art
The applicant is aware of slide type safety selectors used in non-AR style rifles such as shotguns and bb guns. Such slide safety selectors have a configuration different from the configuration of the semi-automatic rifle disclosed herein. The slide type safety selector used in shotguns has a cross sectional configuration unlike the slide safety selector disclosed. Furthermore, the slide safety of a shotgun does not interface with the top of a trigger extension, as does the standard lever type selector in an AR or the slide safety selector disclosed here.
The applicant believes that since the inception of the assault rifle, primarily the AR-10 from 1955 and 1956, as originally designed by Eugene Stoner, no semi-automatic rifle had a sliding safety selector as disclosed. The AR-10 design of Stoner had a lever operated rotating selector so that firing options could be selected. The AR-10 lead to the AR-15 developed by Robert Fremont and Jim Sullivan. The AR-15 also used a rotating selector that was also a safety device. As licensed to Colt's Manufacturing Company in 1959, the AR-15 and similar style weapons in the “AR” platform continued, and to this day, continue to use the rotating safety selector or rotating selective fire apparatus design.
It is expected that a person of ordinary skill in the art of rifle design would be aware of the slide type safety devices used on shotguns. However no person of ordinary skill in the art or event the experts such as Eugene Stoner, or other gun designers, ever incorporated the slide type selector in an assault rifle.
A primary reason that the slide type safety selector was never incorporated in an assault rifle is because the assault rifle had it roots in military applications. In a “Mil-Spec” assault weapon it was necessary to have three (and sometimes four) fire selection positions controlled by the selector lever. These positions are generally; “safe,” “auto,” and “fire.” There are several different words for the three options but generally these three are understandable. A “burst” setting is also often available as well. However in civilian versions of the AR it is only necessary to have a “safe” position and a “fire” position available by rotating the safety selector lever. The multi-position selector used in a Mil-Spec rifle isn't necessary on a civilian AR. All that is necessary in the civilian AR is a two-position safety selector acting as a safety device. (Occasionally a lower receiver will have indicia indicating that the selector can be toggled to “auto” however this is largely cosmetic as “auto” is not available on civilian ARs sold in the last two decades in the United States.)
It was not until the inventor did offer the sliding safety selector that a sliding safety selector would work in a semi-automatic rifle that anyone saw its usefulness in the AR market. This is the kind of invention where everyone who first sees a sliding safety selector first says that the concept is old and then goes on to say that they wished they had the insight to apply the sliding safety selector to an AR or similar semi-automatic lower receiver. Nobody offers a sliding safety device for an AR lower receiver except the inventor hereof. In a recent publication of “Guns and Ammo—AR-15” (blue cover with the word “bravo” in yellow, no date, copyright 2015) a magazine format publication containing articles and advertisements pertaining to the AR-15 of more than 150 pages, every single AR lower receiver where the selective fire lever was visible showed only the rotating style of selector. Not one of the many AR rifles or rifle components showed anything but a rotating selector or safety device.
The sliding safety selector presented here is like no other selective fire selector or safety device used on an AR. This sliding safety selector is very fast to actuate from “safe” to “fire” and “fire” to “safe” and doesn't require a visual confirmation by a shooter that the safety is either “on” or “off.” The sliding safety selector can be tactilely sensed even while the shooter is looking through the sights of his or her AR. As many civilian AR shooters flip the rotating safety selector to “safe” after only a few shots, it is advantageous to be able to quickly toggle the safety selector from “fire” to “safe” and back again.
Applicant believes that the material incorporated above is “non-essential” in accordance with 37 CFR 1.57, because it is referred to for purposes of indicating the background of the invention or illustrating the state of the art. However, if the Examiner believes that any of the above-incorporated material constitutes “essential material” within the meaning of 37 CFR 1.57(c)(1)-(3), applicants will amend the specification to expressly recite the essential material that is incorporated by reference as allowed by the applicable rules.